Activities of Saskia BRICMONT related to 2020/2273(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Bringing nature back into our lives (debate)
Opinions (1)
OPINION on the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030: Bringing nature back into our lives
Amendments (12)
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that the damage to the planet’s biodiversity is almost at the point of no return and that biodiversity loss is a driver of zoonotic pathogens such as COVID-19; highlights the scientific evidence on the role of trade in biodiversity loss, in particular with regard to trade in minerals, biomass, wildlife and certain agricultural commodities, and biodiversity loss due to land-use changes, invasive alien species, overexploitation of resources and pollution; recalls that over half of the world’s GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature and its services;
Amendment 12 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Emphasises that the degradation of and stress on ecosystems is undermining progress towards the achievement of most of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, in particular the objectives of ending poverty, ensuring access to water and sanitation, achieving food security, and ensuring healthy lives and reducing socio- economic inequalities within and among countries;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Welcomes that the new trade strategy “calls for closer policy integration between trade policies and internal EU policies” and recognizes that “the preservation of biodiversity is a global challenge that requires global efforts”; expects that the Commission will keep a high level of ambition not only words but also in action and that specific and concrete measures will be considered without delay to ensure EU trade agreements do not cause or threaten to cause biodiversity loss and to effectively align EU trade policy with its biodiversity strategy;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses the importance of systematically including a biodiversity dimension to all sustainable impact assessments (SIAs) that follow a robust methodology, as suggested by available Commission studies, and to consistently factor in biodiversity issues; requests that the Commission secure adequate funding for carrying out such analyses on biodiversity; calls for SIAs to be launched as part of the scoping exercise phase on future free trade agreements and for them to be regularly updated as negotiations develop in order to adequately identify and address possible risks as early as possible, and to shape relevant bilateral commitments outlined in the negotiations; highlights in particular the importance of an appropriate funding of governmental bodies, the support of civil society organisations, the definition and coverage of protected areas, the designation of competent authorities, etc.; stresses the importance of systematically conducting regular ex post sustainable impact assessments to ensure consistency with the EU’s international commitments on biodiversity; calls for trade and sustainable development chapters to include time- bound roadmaps that provide verifiable commitments and objectives, which are to be regularly monitored by ex post SIAs and for the lowering of (non- )tariff barriers be made conditional thereon; invites the Commission to update existing chapters accordingly;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Welcomes the single entry point put in place to address reported trade barriers and violations of sustainable trade commitments and considers it is in the Union interest to take action in response of violations of those commitments; calls upon the Commission to draw lessons from the EU-South Korea dispute settled by the panel of experts which highlighted the importance of including milestones and timelines for the ratification of international conventions by the Parties; recalls its invitation to the Commission to explore a sanctions-based mechanism as a last resort in the trade agreements and to take account of the non-paper from the Netherlands and France on trade, social economic effects and sustainable development in the context of the review of the 15-point Action Plan on TSD chapters;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers it crucial that the Commission foster a non-product related process and production method approach in order to support measures that set out to prevent further biodiversity loss, on the basis of Article XX of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trad and which are non-discriminatory and aiming at the strongest environmental protection[MC1]; supports the Commission in its will to push forward in international discussions on trade and environment an interpretation of relevant WTO provisions that recognise the right of Members to provide effective responses to global environmental challenges, notably climate change and the protection of biodiversity; considers that lawyers specialised in trade and environment should be selected to be part of dispute settlement panels established by FTAs and IPAs and that they should be particularly involved for dealing with disputes arising from conflicts between trade commitments and environmental protection exceptions; urges the Commission to push this proposal forward in the context of its WTO climate and trade initiative;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. CRecalls that the OECD conservatively estimates at USD 500 billion per year the financial flows potentially harmful to biodiversity (based on fossil-fuel and agricultural subsidies), an order of magnitude ten times higher than global finance flows for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use; considers that the EU’s trade policy and green diplomacy should aim to phase out fossil fuels and environmentally harmful subsidies as a matter of urgency in accordance with the commitments taken at the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh in 2009; invites the Commission to agree on a roadmap with each trade partner covered by a trade agreement, with milestones in place, and to show leadership in relevant international forums;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Requests that the Council in its draft mandate of future agreements and, on the occasion of the review of existing agreements, make the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), together with the Paris Agreement, an essential element of free trade agreements and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, (CITES), together with the Paris Agreement, an essential element of free trade agreements; is of the view that in future transatlantic relations, the EU should prioritise the ratification and implementation of the CBD by the US; highlights the importance of the upcoming reform of the GSP Regulation in providing for stronger climate and environmental conditionalities, including in respect of the CBD; recalls that according to paragraph 161 of the Opinion 2/15 of the Court of Justice, a breach of the TSD chapter authorises the other Party “to terminate or suspend the liberalisation, provided for in the other provisions of the envisaged agreement, of that trade”; considers that existing FTAs should be reviewed accordingly or that implementation committees should make proposals accordingly; supports the ongoing work at the OECD to strengthen the biodiversity component of the Responsible Business Conduct guidelines and requests the Commission to adequately reflect this in the forthcoming EU due diligence package;
Amendment 62 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. UNotes on the one hand, that IPBES estimates that the international legal wildlife trade has increased 500% in value since 2005 and 2,000% since the 1980s and on the other hand, that its legal and illegal forms are often deeply intertwined; urges the EU to adopt a whitelist of endangered species to efficiently combat the illegal trade thereof, to improve the training of customs officials and to support the establishment of a FLEGT/VPA- or IUU-like mechanism to prohibit the eximport of nationally protected endangered species in their countries of origin; into the EU of species that are nationally protected species in their countries of origin; calls on the Commission to scale up the Green Customs Initiative in the forthcoming Customs Union Action Plan and to foster the use of TRACES among the Member States; calls to support in the long run a CITES reform centred on a reverse listing mechanism and aimed at a paperless functioning and at increasing its budget by means notably of contributions paid by the industry; stresses that the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the importance of the ‘One Health’ principle in policy-making and that transformative changes are needed involving collaboration across disciplines and sector; calls upon the Commission to use regulatory dialogues foreseen in FTAs to promote EU stringent SPS standards and animal welfare in order to minimize the risks of future epidemics and pandemics;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Calls for the Commission to explore the possibility of adding a wildlife crime-related protocol to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime; deems that the evaluation and revision of the environmental crime directive is an opportunity to better address criminal offences and to strengthen its enforceability;
Amendment 77 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Welcomes the Commission’s intention to present a legislative proposal in Spring 2021 that will prohibit the placing of products associated with deforestation or forest degradation from the EU market; calls on the Commission to adopt a moratorium on imports of wild animals from reported emerging infectious disease hotspots; since intensive farming is the main driver of biodiversity loss, considers that trade policy should consistently equally encourage the development of organic farming in partner countries, in line with the EU objectives for 2030; calls on the Commission to guarantee that fisheries provisions in trade agreements are consistent with protecting marine biodiversity and urges the trade partners to address all anthropogenic detrimental impact on the marine environment in a holistic manner with the view of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030; calls upon the Commission to take action to prohibit the export from the EU of hazardous substances banned in the EU; in line with the “do-not-harm principle”, the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade and the European Green Deal;
Amendment 83 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission to prioritise capacity building for beneficiary countries to implement the CBD under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument and Aid for Trade. ; underlines with this respect, the crucial role of local communities, indigenous peoples and environmental human rights defenders in maintaining biodiversity and the need to respect the UN principle of free, prior and informed consent; recommends that the negotiating mandate of trade and investment agreements include the need to ratify and implement International Labour Organisation Convention 169on Indigenous and Tribal peoples; stresses the importance of ensuring no negative impact on biodiversity of EU action in development and cooperation by improving assessment practices and methods.